Grow. Evolve. Undergo a change in one’s behaviors for the better. How does personal growth affect the growth of a city? How can developing one’s mindset to be a leader’s mindset impact a city such as Detroit? I would argue that personal growth is the backbone to becoming an agent of change in the community.

These past few months I have taken it upon my self to grow in all aspects of who I am. I wanted to really delve deep into understanding the inner musings of myself and listen to my intuition. I wanted to figure out what I needed to become my most optimal self. I made a commitment to become the version of me that has been spiritually, mentally and physically nourished so that I am able to better serve my community.

I focused on cultivating skills of listening and was able to utilize this during Challenge Detroit Empathy interviews. There is so much power in actively hearing another individuals story and the only way you can do that is to be intentional about fine tuning your ability to listen and understand. Often times we are so busy trying to sculpt the perfect response in our heads we miss out on the whole purpose of hearing one’s story: to listen.

Design thinking is beautifully crafted in a way that allows the designer to focus on the pain points of the user. It forces us to create meaningful connections, to get out of our comfort zone, and to really be present and intentional when designing.

Human beings are constantly evolving and growing in whatever capacity that may be. Sometimes that means taking a hard look in the mirror and being realistic about the characteristics you possess. Asking yourself, what can I improve in myself so that I can better serve the people around me.

When a community is built around this mindset there is no limit on how much can be accomplished. Detroit is a city that is honest, real, and known to hustle harder. Let’s keep it that way and continue to grow.